Ethics are standards of human conduct. We call them Morals. Morals include things like; killing is wrong, lying is wrong, and Stealing is wrong. The tricky part is that this is not just black and white. We might have a line that is crossed when we believe that killing, lying or stealing may be considered “okay.”

For example, a man has just been convicted of raping and murdering several children. Some people may put away their “killing is wrong” moral and ask for the death penalty. Your wife asks you if she looks fat in her new dress. Do you tell her the truth? And what about stealing? How many of us have taken pens or pencils home from work? Are we stealing? Is that wrong?

Our level of integrity is measured by the degree to which we decide to bend our morals in any given situation. Where is the line?

Speaking of ethics, I found a great website today about how to create your own code of ethics. Click here. The Ethics Resource Center (ERC) is non-profit and non-partisan. Their primary mission is to educate the world about maintaining ethics within the organization. I think all organizations big or small should put in writing their “code.”

If you are a VA take a moment to jot down a few of your principles that will guide you as you become a successful entrepreneur.